What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[Ghegs]

Beat Salt & Sanctuary on Switch last weekend, and this weekend I finished NG+. I usually don't go for NG+ type things, but I did have fun and even gave NG+2 a start. First run was with heavy armor and light weapon, the second time I switched it around and did it with light armor and heavy weapon.

[Obiwanshinobi]

i thought to myself, then, that the absolute most fun i had with RE4 ever was the very first run i did.

I, on the other hand, grew to like certain aspects of RE4 considerably upon my subsequent attempts to enjoy it, but the bitter taste of disappointment my first playthrough on Normal left me with has never quite gotten washed away. Had it not been for enormous degree of trust in PS2-era Capcom amassed within me by that point, I would have possibly not even bothered giving some of the unlocked content a chance.

[NYN]

I Sparkle-Five-Star'd New Super Mario Bros. Wii in a single player campaign, the first ALL since release almost a decade ago and the irregular Coin Battle romps.
I think I favor this one over the other 'New' releases. Mainly for the courses align with the p-ups that I like very much: Propellerhead and Penguin Suit.
Before that I completed Super Luigi U. Fun and all, yet I find the squirrel not to my fancy. Much like the cape in SMW I don't revel in taking to the air with it for the up-and-down idea of them both. The 'coon from SMB3 I enjoy more for the handling. When you go up it's rapid. While I appreciate the featuring in New Super Mario Bros. 2 for 2DS, playing it a first time, I'm a bit whelmed that many courses are tailored for it. Feels solid but missing some freshness in that sense. Going a-hunting for secret worlds is fun and there is also The Quest for Coinage .
After that I'm gonna re-play the first NSMB for DS. 'Mild' was the label it got from me.

[kitten]

I, on the other hand, grew to like certain aspects of RE4 considerably upon my subsequent attempts to enjoy it, but the bitter taste of disappointment my first playthrough on Normal left me with has never quite gotten washed away. Had it not been for enormous degree of trust in PS2-era Capcom amassed within me by that point, I would have possibly not even bothered giving some of the unlocked content a chance.

what did you dislike about it? most re4 criticism i see is from people who more staunchly enjoyed classic survival horror RE and disliked the total genre shift.

[Marc]

Got back around to Sonic 1…. My god, the Labyrinth Zone is just as poor as I remember. The one selling point of Sonic is that it was fast. Speedy. Hectic. Rapid. This Zone takes the one unique point of the game, throws it in the garbage, and sets fire to it. Water levels are very, very rarely fun (I think Super Mario World has the only ones I didn’t find a horrible chore to play), and this is one of the worst. The only saving grace is that one of the devs seemed to understand this, and as a result they seem a lot smaller than previous Zones.

That doesn't explain Act 3 of Scrap Brain Zone (which is also longer than the Labyrinth Zone stages, if I remember correctly). That section is out of place and makes no sense, even to those who like Labyrinth Zone. Why even do that?

I finished it up over the weekend, and that entire Zone is ass IMO. I did intend to sit down and have a complete play through once I'd finished up, but between Labyrinth and Scrap Brain... no, thanks.

[Obiwanshinobi]

what did you dislike about it? most re4 criticism i see is from people who more staunchly enjoyed classic survival horror RE and disliked the total genre shift.

I have a problem with the idea of exterminating my terminally ill fellow human beings when, most of the time, I can simply run away from them (the game's device forcing me to do otherwise undermines my willing suspension of disbelief). Just refrain from killing anybody for as long you can and you'll see how little game there is to it for the first couple of hours (whereas killing them on Normal is just a mildly sadistic sandbox most of the time).
Now, if I feared my character could catch the disease from them, that at least would be a video game sort of "biohazard". Or if, having eventually caught it, he could at least keep trying to fulfill his task, that would make for a tension succesfully introduced by Capcom themselves once in Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter. What I got instead is just some killing to do for the sake of triggering another cutscene.
In other words - too much room for prancing about among slowly walking enemies early on deprived me of any sense of purpose to do the only thing left to do in that stage of the game.

[WelshMegalodon]

Decided to attempt a 15% Normal run of Metroid: Zero Mission the other day. RNG shenanigans aside, it was much more feasible than I had expected. Regular enemies are basically a non-issue, especially if you include the Screw Attack as one of your optional items - the only time I really had trouble was during boss fights, and even they go down quickly enough with six Super Missiles in tow. (The two black Space Pirates at the very end of the game are still run-killers, though.)

While Volteccer_Jack's complaints about Zero Mission's wonky movement are completely on point, it's still open-ended enough that I'm willing to overlook its flaws. It's a fairly short and brisk-paced title that's fun to blast through in an afternoon, though I wouldn't consider it the best in the series after Super or anything.

Did you know you could complete the game without the Speed Booster or the Power Bombs? Neither did I.

[Square_Air]

While Volteccer_Jack's complaints about Zero Mission's wonky movement are completely on point, it's still open-ended enough that I'm willing to overlook its flaws. It's a fairly short and brisk-paced title that's fun to blast through in an afternoon, though I wouldn't consider it the best in the series after Super or anything.

Ah, the endless 2d Metroid control debate. I'm on the other side of the fence here, I find Super Metroid to be a little too floaty and slow in comparison to the quick and snappy motions of Zero Mission. While I can kind of understand the appeal of a smoother movement experience, the more "arcade style" movement of ZM where you have to react faster and more precisely just appeals to me more. If ZM wasn't held back by the audio/visual hardware limitations of the GBA, it would easily be my favourite Metroid game instead of in my constantly rotating top 3 of SM, ZM, and Prime.

[BulletMagnet]

Got Ending B and then stumbled into Ending D...so yeah, methinks I'm done with Nier for the time being.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Tales of the Abyss could stand a remaster so it doesn't take 6+ seconds to load getting back out of battle.

[Blinge]

Got Ending B and then stumbled into Ending D...so yeah, methinks I'm done with Nier for the time being.

Haha, how can you 'stumble' into ending D.

That's tripping, getting back up and placing your foot squarely on a banana skin next to a staircase.

[BulletMagnet]

Yeah, the game did warn me about what would happen, so I can't blame it for that, but it had gotten me under the impression that this route was the only other ending I hadn't seen yet, and that if I'd gone the other way I'd just get Ending B again or something, so I damned the torpedoes and went ahead. Then I see a big ol' "D" achievement pop up and just kinda "...well, shoot."

In the end I guess I'd call Nier a "Temple of Doom" game - not very good in a purely objective sense, but at least memorable if you're stubborn enough to stick with it.

[Blinge]

Haha BM!! You were already seeing new ending content though!

Actually I swapped out my save file to a cheeky usb stick before getting that last ending..

NieR did things I've never seen before, dared to experiment, for that reason I liked it.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Starcrawlers is a pretty rad Wizadry-style dungeon crawler except with derelict spacecraft and corporate buildings you enter and explore, fending off space creatures that have invaded, or corporate security drones, etc. It's a pretty cool RPG, huge Shadowrun vibes, especially the system hacking that you can do, along with multiple character classes.

In addition to several difficulty modes, there's also a New Game+ as well as a New Game++ with increased difficulty and level caps. So far it looks like you can create one character of each of the 8 classes (to use in missions as teams of 4), but you apparently can't make duplicates of classes, so no running a full team of Soldiers or anything.

[BulletMagnet]

NieR did things I've never seen before, dared to experiment, for that reason I liked it.

It did do some pretty unusual things and deserves credit for that, though as I said in a previous post a lot of it is unfortunately bogged down by boilerplate filler and janky gameplay mechanics IMO. Still, it is weird to think that quite a few of the "bold/creative/unexpected" things that a fair number of indie games have made their stock and trade in recent years were likely pioneered, or at least entered into the wider gaming consciousness, by a Sqeenix-published international console release from nearly a decade ago.

[NYN]

I, uh, would, er, like to thank all, uhm, participants for voicing their illustrious opinions regarding such acclaimed fanfare to video games the like of, but not limited to, revil4, Metroid and Sonic One one One one One one One one One (KRS style).

I guffawed, I scratched my head in wonder and disbelief, I challenged my own thoughts about the subjects.

Lemme offer to you a newborn thing that came from this mix-up, to cast it to your feet to trample on.

Since my encounter with Sonic the Hedgehog (that's the first one, not Sonic 2 or Sonic 3) on a Sega Master System II I never had a problem with the Labyrinth Zone. Imagine that! I remember a classmate who openly sneered about the 8-bit game, because he owned a SEGA Mega Drivo ( but had to share it with his older brother ) and thought of the SMS Sonic as inferior. No matter the -bits, I dare to think the LZ makes sense. Most I here from others is how the game is about Gotta go fast, but this stage slows you down. Drowning is a new danger. Spikes everywhere. You're out of your element and into another. I imagine some crying now Shuddup! It's no fun! Sucks big bowling balls!. I say it's about discomfort. So when you pass it, it really spooked ya. But maybe that's to up a concept for a patformer from around the time. ( Naw, man, it just sucks eggs!) Shucks, I know certain peeps hold a grudge with the water levels in any Super Mario.

And about that dreaded Scrap Brain Zone Act 3: There's a shortcut right at the start, but you gotta go fast with that moving plat. It takes, say, 10 seconds and then you're out to the boss fight. I consider it common knowledge.

[Blinge]

Yeah Labyrinthe zone is ait.

Saying sanic is only ever about going fast isn't quite right imo. I still want a competent platformer.

[Marc]

I, uh, would, er, like to thank all, uhm, participants for voicing their illustrious opinions regarding such acclaimed fanfare to video games the like of, but not limited to, revil4, Metroid and Sonic One one One one One one One one One (KRS style).

I guffawed, I scratched my head in wonder and disbelief, I challenged my own thoughts about the subjects.

Lemme offer to you a newborn thing that came from this mix-up, to cast it to your feet to trample on.

Since my encounter with Sonic the Hedgehog (that's the first one, not Sonic 2 or Sonic 3) on a Sega Master System II I never had a problem with the Labyrinth Zone. Imagine that! I remember a classmate who openly sneered about the 8-bit game, because he owned a SEGA Mega Drivo ( but had to share it with his older brother ) and thought of the SMS Sonic as inferior. No matter the -bits, I dare to think the LZ makes sense. Most I here from others is how the game is about Gotta go fast, but this stage slows you down. Drowning is a new danger. Spikes everywhere. You're out of your element and into another. I imagine some crying now Shuddup! It's no fun! Sucks big bowling balls!. I say it's about discomfort. So when you pass it, it really spooked ya. But maybe that's to up a concept for a patformer from around the time. ( Naw, man, it just sucks eggs!) Shucks, I know certain peeps hold a grudge with the water levels in any Super Mario.

And about that dreaded Scrap Brain Zone Act 3: There's a shortcut right at the start, but you gotta go fast with that moving plat. It takes, say, 10 seconds and then you're out to the boss fight. I consider it common knowledge.

I didn't mention finding it challenging, but neither did I find it fun. Your momentum takes an age to build, jumping is like wearing a lead coat, and overall I just didn't enjoy it. Those two Zones between them contain many of the faults that numerous Sonic clones would get trashed for back in the day.I appreciate that some would say that Sonic isn't 'just' about going fast, my opinion is that when it isn't, it's not a particularly stand-out platformer. I'm also aware of the Scrap Brain 3 shortcut, but in the interest of, you know, playing the game, I elected not to use it. I wish I had.

[NYN]

Marc, let me ask you, what do you think 'bout the water bubble shield in Sonic 3 and the slight compromise it offers in deep waters jump height and air supply?
Fair enough because it's optional?

(thinking about it, my mind was glowing with the sfx of the water bounce or the crack for the double jump lightning shield, the fire option was a little flat, it must be said)

[Marc]

Marc, let me ask you, what do you think 'bout the water bubble shield in Sonic 3 and the slight compromise it offers in deep waters jump height and air supply?
Fair enough because it's optional?

(thinking about it, my mind was glowing with the sfx of the water bounce or the crack for the double jump lightning shield, the fire option was a little flat, it must be said)

Haven't played it since release so couldn't say. I intended re-visiting the full series, but I'm half and half now. I'm sure glad I didn't pay full price for Mania put it that way. It's been literally that long since I'd played Sonic that the AGES version's music sounded too fast for me - despite playing the import, it was a UK machine and I was used to 50hz.

Bear in mind that I'd have been 14-17 (?) when I played these, my opinions from back in the day were that 1 was the best, 2 was more of the same without the graphical charm of the original, and 3 had gotten too cluttered. Never really got into CD, or played the S&K/linked games. Plus, I distinctly remember that not long after I played the original, I got the SNES on release day over here. Once I'd played Mario World the Sonic games didn't really feel like my jam any more.

Who am I trying to kid, I'll still end up picking up the AGES version of 2 for Switch.

[NYN]

Sonic 2 is the only title where I loose my detachment. I cannot produce a sentence, sans a paragraph, without bitching about it.
I found it soothing to learn that the team producing it wasn't the "Sonic Team", but some outfit from SEGA of America who thought the idea of the original was to, wait for it, gotta go fast! In any event, xx years later I played Sonic CD and, granted, it feels like a wacky Sonic 1.5. to me, but somehow I found it relatable to the first. Fair enough for me.

[Blinge]

Sanic 2 is actually good though.
My pleasant memories of 1 are ruined every time I try to play it and find that it's a total chore.

[NYN]

Let's have a poll, then. Which hold-right-simulator lets you hold right best?
As long as you do it fast!

[Marc]

I'll probably give 2 another bash then. My main memory of CD (by then I'd picked up a MD/CD - remember loving Thunderhawk) was that I hadn't a clue how the time-travelling thing worked, other than it made levels look really ugly. I considered giving it a go on the X360 last night, but ended up starting Wonder Boy in Monster World on the Vintage Collection.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Octopath Traveler

At the true final boss and it's the only issue I have with the game so far. You're so overlevelled by this point that the boss gauntlet before it is trivial, but still takes time (particularly the first one I faced which did nothing but spam silence on my party) and there are no save points. Then you get to the fight proper and.... you can't really do it with a balanced party (i.e. what you've been rotating all game long thus far). I tried but after a 2 hour slog I finally ran out of items and just couldn't even get to landing any blows - thanks to an obnoxious respawning series of helpers which, if you're missing a couple of key skills and spells, can be impossible to take out because not only can't you hit their rotating weaknesses enough but also you're busy healing the obscene damage dealt.

Just couldn't face spending an hour or so on that boss gauntlet again just to try something new with my party. It doesn't need to be there or at least put a save point in before the main event (and maybe lock fast travel out?) instead. The other 90 hours have been nothing short of delightful though, it's just a shame you don't even get a hint of how to set your party up for it and have to repeat a lengthy (but really easy) section just to try again.

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (phew)

A few control niggles - Mario's handling is slippery, some of the collision detection is dodgy, late game throws in awkward motion controls and a few actions have too tight an execution window to be consistent (or too broad a window in the case of wall jumping, which has occasionally sent me to an accidental death with a slipped B button press). Otherwise, standard 2D Mario excellence, but a little too much emphasis on cheap memorisation than genuine challenge stops it well short of Mario 3/World quality. It doesn't do anyrhing too different but if it's not broken, don't fix it. Induces the same joyful feeling as it did nearly 30 years ago!

Only just started the Luigi mode but it looks suitably insane and where the real challenge is at.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Yeah, I scrubbed out the first try too because I don't check guides. Then I rounded up better gear and changed my strategy. Slaughtered the shitter.

[bottino]

Oh yeah, for the past few months I worked at this bullshit company, doing a bullshit desk job, and I played Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima pretty much every day there.

Well, technically it is a game so

[Vanguard]

Let's have a poll, then. Which hold-right-simulator lets you hold right best?
As long as you do it fast!

I think Hold Right 1 is the best because if you want to go fast you need to use the scenery and physics. In the others you just spin dash.

[NYN]

Right. Thank you for your cooperation.

I'm partial to Hold Right and Hold Right CD, for the nutty flavour.
Spin Dash Right 1 started the subgenre of Useless Critter Friends In Fake 2P Co-op and the distinguished 'Mah Lard They Call This Actually Multiplayer' multiplayer.
A mainstay from that one out.

[Mischief Maker]

I'm partial to Hold Right: Rush 1 for the DS because it feels like a cross between Hold Right and Jet Set Radio Future; both from the trick mechanics and the music.

And the whole effect of switching screens from top to bottom when rounding a sudden drop creates a rollercoaster-esque visceral feeling of taking a sudden plunge, especially on the XL's screens.